World Cup: Brazil – Cameroon, Serbia – Switzerland, the last posters before closing … What awaits you on December 2

This Friday night, the dice will be rolled and the opening round of the World Cup will come to an end. In Group G, Switzerland can accompany Brazil to the 1/8 finals, but will lose to Serbia. Cameroon’s qualification is an incredible feat against Brazil. In Group H, it would make sense for Ghana to accompany Portugal to the round of 16, but the Black Stars are still under threat from Uruguay as well as South Korea.

Program

• 16:00: South Korea – Portugal (beIN); Ghana – Uruguay (beIN)
• 20:00: Serbia – Switzerland (beIN); Cameroon – Brazil (beIN, TF1)

Big Game: Cameroon vs. Brazil

At Lusail Stadium, the future theater of the final on 18 December, Brazil will face Cameroon and aim for a clean round in Group G. Despite injuring their star Neymar (right ankle), Brazil are one of the three chosen to have won their first two opening stage matches – with France and Portugal – dominating Serbia (2-0) and then Switzerland (1-0).

The Brazilians need a draw or a victory over Cameroon to join a relatively strong half of the table, especially with Argentina and the Netherlands, perhaps in anticipation of Spain.

Coach Tita still has to do without the services of Neymar, who was injured against Serbia in the first game and is hoping to recover after the playoffs. The technician has the opportunity to rotate his squad before entering the final phase of the tournament.

“Of course, it’s a risk (a lot of rotations), but it’s also an opportunity for players to show their talent,” says Tite. We have a lot of top players, we don’t call them reserves. »

For their part, Cameroon are a miracle thanks to a draw with Serbia – 3-3 after losing 3-1 – and they have no choice but to beat Brazil to keep qualifying hope alive. However, the fate of the Indomitable Lions is not in their hands and they will depend on the outcome between Switzerland and Serbia.

However, Cameroon has already beaten Brazil twice: 2-1 at the 2000 Olympics and 1-0 at the 2003 Confederations Cup. “There are realities in football too, but anything is possible,” said Lions manager Rigobert Song. In the Confederations Cup, we believed in it. But tomorrow is a match from another dimension. We need three points tomorrow (today), whatever one may say, we will sleep and eat with this in mind. We’ve done it before and we can do it again.”

Player to watch: Granit Xhaka

Geopolitically, Serbia vs Switzerland this Friday night is much more than a round of 16 qualifier in the eyes of Granit Xhaka, an Albanian-born Swiss midfielder, as well as striker Xherdan Shaqiri, who shares his roots. When two players canceled a game against Serbia (2-1) four years ago, at the same World Cup stage in Russia, they celebrated their goals by imitating the double-headed eagle, the symbol of Greater Albania, an attitude that was expensive. .

“In 2018, we left a lot, a lot of energy there,” recalls Xhaka. Hopefully now we are professional enough to fully focus on football. »

Covered in insults in Serbia, the target of controversy in Switzerland over the extent of their ties to the national team, the arrogant midfielder and small attacker with the air of a weightlifter escaped sporting sanctions, only to be fined by FIFA. They looked especially boring in the third pool match against Costa Rica (2-2) and lost to Sweden (1-0) in the 1/8 finals. The loss of inflow is incompatible with the Nachi’s new ambitions. Because the Swiss, who last year won their first match since 1938 and reached the quarter-finals of the Euro, offering themselves to their French neighbors along the way, did not set themselves any restrictions.

Xhaka, who moved right in front of the defense against Brazil, played a key role in consolidating the Swiss block and clearing the balls out, setting up a formidable trap until Casemiro’s late goal (83rd) and a narrow 1-0 defeat.

“I’m 30 years old, I have more experience and I’ve calmed down,” says Xhaka, finally realizing at Arsenal, before clarifying: “But obviously there’s still my other side to me…”.

Suggestion: “Maybe I would do the same…”

Against Uruguay today, Ghanaian Andre Ayew, 32, will remember the Black Stars’ painful experience against the same opponent at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. La Celeste beat Ghana in the electric quarter-finals. The Ghana missed a penalty at the very end of extra time after Luis Suarez missed the line. After that, the Africans succumbed to shots on goal … (1-1 up, 4-2 on penalties). “Whatever happens, we can’t go back,” said Ayew, the only one of 26 Ghanaian players in Qatar with a presence in South Africa. Perhaps I would have done the same if it had been the other way around. In their eyes it was worth it, but for us it was the worst moment of our lives. »

Number: 9

After making World Cup history by being the first to score in five different championships, Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, has the opportunity to equal or even surpass the new record in South Korea – Portugal. Currently with 8 goals in the World Cup, the CR7 is only one unit behind Eusebio, Portugal’s all-time top scorer in the World Cup with 9 goals, all scored during the 1966 Championship in England.